Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Barueri

For one person, living is cheaper in Barueri: $1,057 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Barueri
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Barueri Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Barueri

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Barueri

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Barueri actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,057 in Barueri, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Barueri $1,057

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,702 in Barueri, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Barueri $1,702

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,347 in Barueri, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Barueri $2,347

Medellin costs about 55% more than Barueri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Barueri is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$7.65 R$40.91

5.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$41.22 R$220

14.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.50 R$45.44

11.76%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.31 R$12.33

30.30%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.41 R$7.54

27.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.98 R$5.25

43.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.64 R$14.12

20.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.99 R$21.33

44.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.15 R$6.14

31.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.94 R$10.38

22.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.24 R$6.65

42.74%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.61 R$13.96

10.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.50 R$61.5

-11.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.06 R$27.04

95.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.01 R$53.5

39.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.66 R$14.25

49.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.74 R$9.29

-10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.51 R$8.06

44.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.83 R$9.79

19.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.33 R$7.11

47.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.18 R$6.28

34.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.95 R$5.09

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.87 R$4.63

42.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.57 R$13.72

54.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$8.27 R$44.24

65.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.56 R$8.32

6.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.41 R$12.90

-6.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.11 R$5.95

5.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$52.0 R$278

48.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.63 R$8.72

-22.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.90 R$4.81

127.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$9.77 R$52.3

-12.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.22 R$6.52

10.66%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$22.0K R$117.9K

54.54%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$31.7K R$169.7K

9.22%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$170 COP 533.7K

$68.5 R$366

147.63%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$13.23 R$70.7

2.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$20.63 R$110

36.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$29.22 R$156

49.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$18.32 R$98.0

-6.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$8.79 R$46.99

-21.39%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$797 COP 2.5M

$405 R$2,164

96.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$7,075 R$37.8K

28.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$51.3 R$274

65.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$55.5 R$297

4.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$89.8 R$480

50.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$80.4 R$430

21.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$474 R$2,536

154.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$351 R$1,876

82.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$963 R$5,147

110.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$703 R$3,760

43.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,531 R$8,187

172.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,495 R$7,993

27.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$573 R$3,064

14.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.68

-6.34%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barueri: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Barueri

$351 33.2% 45.3% $291

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Barueri

$225 21.3% 24.3% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Barueri

$102 9.7% 51.5% $109

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Barueri

$145 13.7% 14.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Barueri

$125 11.8% 26.3% $44

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Barueri

$63 5.9% 33.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Barueri

$47 4.4% 18.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $474 in Barueri. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 15% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $41 in Barueri. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $225 – making Barueri the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Barueri

🕒 Local time

17:27 5:27 PM

19:27 7:27 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

316,473

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Barueri 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Barueri

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Barueri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,586 in Barueri. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barueri, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $474 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,057 in Barueri. That makes Barueri about 36% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Barueri. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Barueri, where all-in costs run around $1,057, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Barueri it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Barueri – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Barueri. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.